WKYC TV on-air meteorologist Hollie Strano pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of an OVI
Cuyahoga Falls Mayor's Court Magistrate Alan Medvick ordered her to pay a fine of $375 and attend a six-day driver intervention program. Her license was also suspended for a year. She is eligible to apply for work-related driving privileges after Dec. 7.
Strano entered the empty courtroom at the end of the court session, after more than a dozen other defendants and their cases were dealt with.
Dressed in a black pantsuit, Strano stood at a podium before the magistrate, flanked by two attorneys who spoke on her behalf, asking Medvick to impose the mandatory minimum sentence for a first offense.
A report provided by the city said Cuyahoga Falls police were alerted to a possible intoxicated driver around 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 and found Strano driving a 2023 Cadillac XT5 SUV outside of the lane. The officer reported he began following her as she allegedly reached 70 mph in a 35 mph zone heading toward the Akron border.
A dashcam video the department released shows an officer following a vehicle, which goes left over the center line before gradually veering the opposite direction until it drives off the right side of the road and strikes a utility pole.
Police said Strano had a blood alcohol level of 0.244%, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08%. She declined medical treatment after the crash and was released to a third party, police said.
Strano has been with WKYC for more than 20 years. She is a meteorologist and host on the WKYC Channel 3 News "GO" morning show from 4:30-7 a.m. on weekdays and the host of "It's About You" at noon on weekdays. She has not been on air since the incident.
Strano has been candid with viewers in the past about her struggles with anxiety and calls herself a "mental health advocate" on her Instagram profile.
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